Crimson Stains
by Dana Hale
Summary: Missing Scene from Tithonus. How Mulder finds out that Agent Ritter shot Scully. Some Triangle and Movie references thrown in too for some MSR moments.
1. Intro

TITLE: "Crimson Stains" 

AUTHOR: Dana Hale

RATING: K+

SPOILERS: Tithonus, Triangle, Fight the Future Movie

SUMMARY: Missing Scene: How Mulder finds out that Scully was shot by Agent Ritter

DISCLAIMER: The X-Files television show and characters belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and the Fox Corporation.

* * *

The hour and a half flight to New York City seemed to take all day for Mulder. Scully was alone with Fellig, a convicted murderer. Her cell phone was mysteriously turned off, and she had no backup. Well, Agent Ritter was supposedly on his way, but that didn't make Mulder any happier.

All Mulder could think about was the fact that A.D. Kersh had paired Scully with a green agent who didn't have the six years of experience working by her side day after day like he did, knowing her so well that he could anticipate her every move and could communicate with her by not even saying a word. Ritter didn't know that she likes salad for lunch with the dressing on the side and that she can outrun anyone in those high heels of hers. Ritter wouldn't recognize that when Scully's right eyebrow arches up that it would be time for him to just shut-up and let Scully do what she needs to do. He wouldn't understand that Scully needs her independence but at the same time needs to know that someone is watching her back, and after six years of practice, Mulder finally felt that he was getting the balance down right. Poor Agent Ritter...Scully would easily put him in his place if he crossed the line. And what about trust? Could she trust him? How can you trust someone you've never worked with?

It's supposed to be Mulder and Scully. Scully and Mulder. Not Scully and Ritter. As the plane came in for a landing at the JFK airport, Mulder couldn't help but feel uneasy about this whole situation.


	2. Chapter 1

Mulder quickly pulled up to Fellig's apartment building in his rented blue Taurus. The brakes squeaked as the car came to a stop. He noticed right away that there were quite a few police cars parked around with their lights still flashing as if to say that something important was going on that needed immediate attention.

Mulder started to relax a little. Good, she has plenty of backup he thought. He got out of the car and started looking for Scully. She should be around here somewhere. Looks like maybe she made the arrest and a forensics team was starting to gather evidence against Fellig. But when he saw an officer start to block off the entrance to the apartment building with yellow tape that had the familiar black wording of "Police Line Do Not Cross," Mulder couldn't help but get another twinge of anxiety. Something felt off.

"Can I help you, sir?" An officer stepped in front of Mulder, preventing him from walking any further towards the building.

"Special Agent Fox Mulder. FBI." Mulder said as he flashed his badge. "I'm looking for Agent Dana Scully. She's my partner. She's assigned to the Fellig case."

"Helicopter just came and took her. Not sure which hospital they're transporting her to, though. You'll have to ask the officer in charge. He's inside holding Agent Ritter for questioning."

"Wait, wait...what? Hospital? She was transported to a hospital? What for?" Mulder's face visibly paled.

"You mean you don't know what happened?"

"What's going on here?" Mulder asked with an impatient shaky voice.

"I'm sorry, Agent Mulder. I assumed you knew. Agent Scully was hit with the same bullet that killed Fellig. Agent Ritter claims he made the shot. She's in pretty bad shape. Lost a lot of blood. They had a hard time stabilizing her, so they took her by helicopter."

Mulder's mind was suddenly reeling in shock. Hospital...Scully got hit...bullet...bad shape...Fellig killed...shot...a lot of blood...Agent Ritter. It was all registering at once and it was all too much to take in. He became dizzy.

"You okay, Agent Mulder?"

Mulder gripped his forehead with his hand and closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. Without bothering to answer the officer, he made a sudden beeline to the entrance of the apartment building. No, he wasn't okay. The fast pounding of his feet against the ground matched the fast pounding of his heart. Did her heart still beat? Surely he would have known otherwise. Wouldn't he automatically feel the sheer pain of her being ripped from his own heart if she had suddenly slipped away?

He wasn't sure where he was going, but he needed to see Agent Ritter. Mulder followed the commotion of police officers moving in and out of an apartment down the hallway.

When he entered the apartment, he found himself being led toward the black curtain of Fellig's darkroom. The darkroom was now bathed in light and something else- - blood. Blood was everywhere. Over to the left on the floor by the table, he spotted the taped outline of Fellig's body. Just behind this and slightly to the right was a large ugly pool of congealed blood. More of the same blood was also thickly smeared and splattered down the wall, repainting the room in rich crimson.

Mulder had seen so many crime scenes in his line of duty. He couldn't even begin to count how many. Throughout the years he had become desensitized to death, blood, and gore. He had to in order to do his job. But this was no ordinary every-day crime scene. This blood on the floor and on the wall belonged to Scully. He knew this scene would haunt him for the rest of his life. It made the bile rise in his throat, constricting his air passages and causing his heart to hitch. He was slowly becoming aware of every organ in his body as each one started to ache for oxygen. Lungs. Stomach. Brain. Air; he needed air. He took a deep breathe and then swallowed hard to keep down the contents of his stomach.

Mulder turned to leave the darkroom and noticed Agent Ritter sitting in the living room with his elbows on his knees, head bowed, and blood-stained hands held out in front of him. More blood. She couldn't possibly still be alive now. Not with all the blood that she left behind. With staggered steps and a quiet unstable voice, Mulder approached Ritter. "You killed her."

Agent Ritter was surprised by Mulder's presence and immediately stood up. "I...I don't know...I don't know what to say...I just pulled the trigger without thinking...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Mulder couldn't accept that. He didn't want to hear an apology. His anger started to flare. "So it's true? You made the shot? Without thinking? You're a pathetic excuse for a federal agent, you know that?" Mulder said, his voice now stronger and growing louder with each word. "If OPR doesn't get rid of you, I will. If she's dead, you're dead. Got that?"

Agent Ritter slowly sat back down and covered his face in shame with his bloodied hands. Mulder knew that he needed to walk away now before more blood was shed. He had to go be with Scully.


	3. Chapter 2

NYU Medical Center. Another hospital. Another frantic search trying to find a nurse, a doctor, or someone capable of telling him about Scully's condition and where she was. Mulder found out that she was alive but still in surgery. He was told to wait in the waiting room.

He hated waiting rooms. To him they were torture chambers. So, what, he was just supposed to sit back in an uncomfortable chair, read the latest issue of People Magazine, grab some coffee and watch the time go by while Scully was bleeding to death in another room? But he had nowhere else to go. So Mulder aimlessly wandered down the hallway, following the arrows on the signs pointing him to the "torture chamber."

When he entered the waiting room, he noticed A.D. Kersh standing in the corner, casually sipping on a cup of coffee. Evidently waiting rooms didn't bother Kersh.

"And just what do you think you're doing here?" Mulder was ready to cause a scene.

"Agent Mulder. I should ask you that same question. I did not assign you to this case."

Mulder got up close to Kersh's face. "And that's exactly the reason why one of your agents is in this damn hospital fighting for her life. Her blood is on your hands. Agent Scully is MY partner. No one knows her better than I do. Don't tell me that I don't have a right to be here."

Kersh looked around the room and noticed that everyone was staring at them. He lowered his voice. "Agent Ritter may have made a rookie mistake, and he will be dealt with accordingly, but you, Agent Mulder, are a lost cause."

"Believe what you want, but you have never been so wrong. You think splitting us up is the answer? You think you can stop our work; stop the truth from coming out. But the truth is bigger than you. It's you who will lose in the end."

Kersh swallowed the last gulp of coffee and handed the empty styrofoam cup to Mulder. They stared each other down for a few seconds, and then Kersh walked away. Mulder crushed the coffee cup in his hand and threw it across the room in frustration.

* * *

"You may see her now, Agent Mulder. She just woke up in recovery. She's a little groggy, but she's asking for you."

"Thank you," Mulder said to the nurse.

Mulder walked the short distance to room number 1013. The wait was finally over. She had been in surgery for over five hours. There was extensive internal bleeding and complications, but she pulled through. He had wanted so badly to see her, but now that the time had come, he was shaky and hesitant. He could never get used to seeing his partner in the hospital. It brought back too many memories of abductions and cancer. Of almost losing her.

He paused at the door, trying to prepare himself to stay strong for her. But as soon as he walked in and saw her, his heart melted and his fears faded away. She was going to be fine.

She was propped up in bed by a couple of large pillows behind her back. Her waist was wrapped tightly with bandages. Her head was resting gently to the side. Her eyes were closed, but sensing Mulder's presence, she slowly opened them and smiled.

Mulder quietly pulled up a chair close to her bed, took her hand and squeezed. "You have to stop doing this to me, Scully. My heart can't take it. I hate it when you're in the hospital."

"Well it is my turn, I suppose," Scully slurred through her drug-induced stooper.

Mulder was quickly reminded of the last time he was hospitalized after the boat that he was on was blown to pieces. He was in a drug-induced stupor at the time as well, but he was coherent enough to remember his three-word confession to Scully. "It should never be your turn, Scully," he said to her tenderly.

"Well, it was finally Fellig's turn. He told me I was going to die, but he grabbed my hand and took my death. He had been searching for death for decades. You were right about him, Mulder."

"Boy, those must be some strong drugs they have you on, Scully. Did you just say I was right?"

Scully couldn't help the small giggle that escaped from within her, but her smile quickly faded due to the sheer pain she felt in her stomach from the motion. "Ow. Don't make me laugh." She closed her eyes again. "I'm tired."

Before Mulder could say anything further, she had already fallen asleep. He smoothed her hair back so he could place a kiss to her forehead. "I'll come back later," he said to her even though he knew she couldn't hear him.


	4. Chapter 3

Scully woke up when she heard the commotion of her IV bag being changed by a nurse. For a brief second, she forgot where she was. But then the pain came, and it didn't take long to remember.

"How are you feeling?" the nurse asked.

"Would that happen to be a morphine drip you're hooking me up to, or is that just wishful thinking?" Scully said sarcastically.

"That bad, huh? I'll ask the doctor and see what I can give you for the pain."

Scully looked around the room and noticed all of the flower arrangements that had arrived. The nurse started to leave, but Scully stopped her.

"Nurse, would you mind reading the cards for me on all these flowers? I'm wondering who they are from."

"Sure, no problem." The nurse walked over to the window ledge and started with a purple and pink bouquet of mixed flowers. She pulled out the card and read, "'Sorry to hear about the accident. Let us know if you want us to beat someone up for you. The Lone Gunman.' Nice friends you have," the nurse quipped.

"Oh, you have no idea..." Scully confided.

The nurse moved to the vase of red and white carnations. "'Sorry I can't be there with you. Get better soon. Love, Queequeg.' Who's Queequeg?"

"My dog, but he died a while back. Must be from Mulder." Scully smiled.

"I have a feeling a lot of these are from Agent Mulder," the nurse said. "He's been very concerned about you. Did you know that he's been coming here everyday just to sit and watch you sleep?"

Scully raised her eyebrow in response.

"Next!" The nurse pulled the card from a bouquet of orange tiger lilies. 'Why didn't you call me? Fox tells me you're fine. Call me! Love, Mom.' You better call her!" the nurse warned.

"I was going to...eventually," Scully muttered.

The nurse took out the card from the vase of a dozen red roses. "'Roses are red, violets are blue, I am your one true partner, and I would never shoot you.'

Scully let out a laugh and then a cry of pain. "Ow! I told him not to make me laugh." She put her hand over her bandage to try to stifle the sting.

The nurse smiled and then moved to the basket of daisies. "How about this one? 'Get well soon. From the Grey Alien, not the Green one.' Must be an inside joke?"

Scully nodded. "How'd you guess?"

"Two more. Wow, another vase of red roses." The nurse pulled out the card, read it to herself first, and then smiled. "Aw, this one's really nice. 'Scully, you make me a whole person. I need you. Get better soon. Mulder.'"

Scully stared out into space and was suddenly transported back to the time in his hallway almost two years ago. She had told him she was transferring to Utah and then he made that same stunning confession to get her to change her mind. He had held her close in his strong arms. They almost kissed then. It was an intense, sensual moment. They hadn't talked about it since, so she was surprised to hear those words again. Words like that are very rare from Mulder. It's not easy for him to express those kinds of feelings, and it usually takes a tragedy of some sort to bring it out in him. But deep down Scully has always known how he feels about her, by his actions. And she knows she feels the same, although it has been even harder for her to admit.

"Dana? Are you ready for the last one?" the nurse shook Scully out of her dream-like state.

"Um, yeah, go on." Scully gazed at the gorgeous arrangement of orchids; her favorite.

"'Scully, I meant what I said to you the last time I was in the hospital. You know what I'm talking about. Don't ever forget it. Love, Mulder.' Sounds like you and Agent Mulder have a special partnership," the nurse added. "Well, I'll go see about getting you some pain medication."

Scully was left alone, speechless.


	5. Chapter 4

"Hey, where have you been?" Scully was glad to see Mulder walk through the door. She was getting very bored being holed up in her small box of a hospital room.

"I went back to D.C. for while; to see what happened to Ritter at the OPR hearing." Mulder made his way to Scully and sat beside her on the bed.

"Mulder..."

"You look better, by the way. I talked with your doctor and he said you're making the fastest recovery he's ever seen!" Mulder wanted to change the subject.

"Mulder..."

"Scully, I'm sorry but I needed to make sure that the review board was going to do the right thing."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"Well, he should be kicked out of the bureau, for one."

"Mulder, come on."

"Aren't you angry at him, Scully? Because I am. He almost killed you."

Scully paused and was almost embarrassed to say what she was thinking.

"He couldn't have killed me," she finally said in a quiet voice.

"You really believe that Fellig 'stole' your death, don't you?"

"I don't know what to believe. I know that people don't live forever. But his pictures, Mulder. I saw pictures that he took of people dying from way back in the early 1900's. He was trying to capture death itself so that he could die. He told me that death overlooked him when he had yellow fever...that he actually 'saw' death come to take him, but he closed his eyes and it took the nurse instead of him, and ever since then, he had been longing for death to take him. It never came no matter how many times he tried to commit suicide, no matter how many decades passed. He couldn't even remember his wife's name he had outlived her for so long. He just wanted it all to end. So he took my hand, told me to close my eyes, and he died."

"Instead of you."

"I guess so."

"Just for once, Scully, why can't you admit that you believe in something paranormal?"

"Maybe I will when I see the autopsy results."

"Well I saw the autopsy report. He died of a single gun-shot wound. That's all it said."

Scully sighed and looked out the window. "So what happened at the OPR hearing?"

"He got off lucky. Too lucky. They gave him a three-month suspension without pay."

"I thought you were going to make sure they him kicked out for good?"

"Well, yeah, that would have been ideal, but uh, if you remember, the review board doesn't exactly care what I think." Mulder gave Scully a quick smile and then his face turned serious again. "Since I wasn't 'officially' on the case, they wouldn't let me testify. They did rule that he is never to be partnered with you again, but believe me, I still want to beat the crap out of him."

"Mulder..."

"I know. Okay, okay. I'll play it cool. But only because you're doing better." He gently kissed the top of her hand and then rested it back down on the bed.

Their hands stayed entwined together while his fingers moved over and through hers, and her fingers moved over and through his. They were playing a game of sorts, to see who could caress the other's hand the most without letting go. They did this for a while until Scully broke the silence.

"I, um, wanted to thank you for the flowers."

Mulder stopped his fingers from moving and looked into Scully's eyes. She could tell he was scared of what she was thinking at that moment. He held his breath.

"I mean...only you, Mulder, would send me flowers from my dead dog."

Mulder smiled and released the breath he was holding. He was glad that she was downplaying this. "What are you talking about? I didn't send those. Queequeg really sent those to you. From beyond the grave. We should open an X-File on it."

Scully smiled back. She knew he was using humor as a way to hide his fear of expressing his true emotions. Should she press the real issue here, or not? Or was she not brave enough to do it either?

She noticed that Mulder had relaxed again as he brought his gaze back down to her hand and proceeded to play with her fingers.

"The daisies are nice, and the roses are very pretty, but I think I like the orchids the best." There, she went for it. Somewhat. In a way.

"You...'think' you like them the best?" Mulder asked and then swallowed hard, not being able to look her in the eye.

"I 'know' I like them the best," Scully said without hesitation.

This time he wasn't afraid to look deeply into her eyes, and when he did, he saw the truth. The message had been sent, received, accepted, and reciprocated. Communication without actually saying the real words. It's what they did best.

This time it was Mulder's turn to break the silence. "I should let you rest. I hear they're releasing you tomorrow. I'll be here in the morning to take you home." He placed one more kiss to her hand and proceeded to leave.

"Mulder?"

He turned back to look at her. "Yes?"

"I love you," she said playfully. She knew that the words didn't need to be said, but she mostly said it to break the tension in the room and to poke fun of the time he had said it to her. He took the bait.

"Oh brother!" Mulder exclaimed as he rolled his eyes Scully-style and turned to walk out.

--The End--

* * *

AN: I have no idea what kind of punishment the FBI dishes out to Feds who accidently shoot other Feds, so I just made up the three-month bit. If anybodyhappens to know, I would love to hear from you, ya know, just as an interesting side note. The actual episode never said what happened to Ritter,either. . .Anyways, I started out writing this story just based on Tithonus, and ended up throwing in some Triangle and Fight the Future Movie without even planning to. Funny how that happened. Thank you to all my reveiwers- you are all awesome. 


End file.
